Telegraph digs deep for storm victims

Communities in NSW battered by severe weather a fortnight ago were granted some extra relief, with more than $300,000 raised by The Daily Telegraph through its storm appeal.

The paper contributed $1 from each edition sold on Wednesday, April 29, and pulled a range of corporate partners on board, including the Commonwealth Bank, Crown, the Seven Network, Telstra, Qantas and Woolworths.

Readers were encouraged to donate through Commonwealth Bank branches, at Woolworths supermarkets or online.

All the money raised went to the Salvation Army to distribute to families affected by the storms.

“We had the credibility of previously delivering on such large fundraising appeals through our print and digital channels,” News Corp Australia NSW director Brett Clegg said, citing the Bushfire Appeal and the We’re For Kids appeal.

The storm appeal was formulated while the state was still being lashed by heavy rain and wild winds.

“I received a call while the storms were still present from Daily Telegraph deputy editor Ben English,” Mr Clegg told The Newspaper Works.

“By the following morning, after a few emails and telephone conversations, we had four of the six partners committed. That was enough to proceed.”

“The speed at which this effort came together certainly demonstrated the power of The Daily Telegraph brand on several levels, both editorially and commercially.

TheDaily Telegraph sold 20 per cent more retail copies than usual on the day of the appeal despite continued bad weather.

“There’s still nothing like a front page treatment to shape a conversation in our community. Our storytelling continues to reverberate through the public discourse,” Mr Clegg said.

“When we step up and say we need to lend a hand to other citizens doing it tough as a result of a catastrophe, people more than listen. They respond.”